Takes Two To Tango / Web Page / COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture by Martin Cooney / For Sale

Posted on May 10, 2026May 10, 2026 by Martin Cooney, Stone Sculptor

Takes Two To Tango / For Sale / The Liberty Collection

Colorado Yule Marble / 11.5 x 9.5 x 12.5″ / 24 lbs / SN260404

Currently Displayed at The Martin Cooney STONEWORKS

121 Liberty Street, Council Grove, Kansas 66846

Please email martincooneysculptor@gmail.com for sales information

A minimalist white ceramic sculpture with angular peaks and a smooth surface, set against a dark background.

~ Geometric Dance ~

Architecture has held me in its compelling grip since the early days of my youth. Even as a child growing up in the north of England, the spell cast upon me by countless castles, classic cathedrals, magnificent manor houses and stylish stately homes drew my awe and fed my already lively imagination. And throughout my life, upon my travels visiting many great cities of the world and feasting upon their splendid buildings, my interest and fascination for the structural form remains to this day. Consequently, architectural pieces make their repeated presence within THE COLLECTION SERIES. And as I now approach the one hundred mark – this being my 99^th C.S. sculpture to date, it is no surprise that such a highly structural carving would appear, to take its place at this significant moment in my sculptural journey. And so, within this context, may I present ‘Takes Two To Tango’ as a simple yet dynamic interior focal point – a sculpture carved to capture the attention without dominating the room.

A minimalist, white geometric sculpture with sharp peaks and smooth surfaces, displayed against a dark surface and soft background.

~ Please click on an image to enlarge ~

Weighing just 22lbs., ‘Takes Two To Tango’ is as light, portable and carved for full immersion in the real world, as any of my COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture to date. And with its concave surfaces forming natural grips at each of corner, the practicalities of picking up and walking it over to a new position are a synch. Which means that you can enjoy Tango just about anywhere you wish.

A white, geometric sculpture with sharp peaks and folds, positioned on a dark surface, with soft light casting shadows.

~ Transclucent profile ~

The play of light upon the bright white Colorado Yule Marble, as I have mentioned often in prior posts, being notoriously difficult to capture in photographs, is a phenomenon that must be witnessed in person to be fully appreciated and is a phenomenon that will delight onlookers. With this particular carving, the effect appears as something of a hallo, as the various walls, at the point of their intersection with each other, are carved so thin that light is absorbed on the exposed side and transmitted to the other to create a translucency that, again (sorry for the repetition), simply must be observed first-hand to be fully grasped. Because it is a remarkable sight to see light passing through marble with an opaque radiance seldom exposed to human eyes.

~ Light catching marble form ~

A minimalist triangular sculpture with a smooth, matte finish, displayed against a softly lit background.

~ ~ ~

‘Takes Two To Tango’ was a joy to carve; the smooth and consistent Colorado Yule Marble presented a perfect rough block that instantaneously suggested the strong architectural nature of the finished design. In other words, I could literally see this piece in its entirety from the moment I set eyes upon it; which in this regard is a slightly rare occurrence. More usually, I must remove a significant amount of unworkable material to reach this point. But with Tango the carving process could be initiated almost instantly, with little or no need for the usual raw ‘roughing out’ stage that commonly initiates a new COLLECTION SERIES sculpture.

~ Rough block on the banker in the workshop ~

~ Carving process ~

~ Play of light ~

I’ll leave it to you to surmise just why I chose ‘Takes Two To Tango’ as the title for this almost rigidly architectural piece. But the name came to me quite early in the carving process, as I grappled with the stance of the double pyramid design. At first, I thought of the two triangular points as pyramids in the standard sense. It seemed to suggest, perhaps, a new civic building – a church maybe, that would likely appear within some large city, Then I began adding the bowl-like concave hollows, and the whole thing took on a lighter, more active persona that suddenly put me in mind of two figures … dancing … the tango! If you can’t see it, then it doesn’t matter – it won’t change anything. But that was my motivation for this piece: a brilliant white block of Colorado Yule Marble carved into dancing architecture. Such imagery can only spring to mind via the sort of Split-and-Carve, Direct Method, sculpting with which I am so deeply involved with these days.

~ ~ ~

As with all COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture, its name and serial number, my signature and personal Mark, are engraved upon the underside it the base. I just don’t like to mar the surface with such things as they tend to despoil the illusion and draw from the artistic statement I had in mind for the piece.

A white, abstract sculpture with sharp angles and folds, resembling a stylized origami design.

~ ~ ~

‘Takes Two To Tango’ will enjoy any sunny window and will return the favor with a slowly evolving lightshow that will reflect the passing of each day according to the available light and the strength and angle of its primary source. Alternatively, a formal entrance hall, great room or similar will serve to optimize the focal point nature of this piece, allowing it to capture immediate attention while defining the sculpture’s understated profile accordingly.

A modern, abstract sculpture with sharp, angular shapes in white, set against a dark background.

~ ~ ~

Carved to be viewed fully in the round, any profile will reward a prominent placement, so feel free to experiment with angles and light sources, because therein lies the fun of this sort of petite sculpture – it keeps ownership fresh and interesting, with new optics and moods presenting themselves with each angle of observation and each new location you conjure for this, my 99^th COLLECTION SERIES Marble Sculpture.